Pitchers hope to shake UT mystique

Published: Thursday, March 24, 2005

GEORGE WATSONAVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The aura of Texas' Disch-Falk Field and the reputation of the team that calls it home has been unnerving for many opposing players. Texas Tech pitching coach Travis Walden knows that possibility all to well.

But he also knows from personal experience what it's like to go in there and overcome those feelings, and hopes to impart the same upon his staff when the 19th-ranked Red Raiders open a three-game Big 12 Conference set against the No. 4 Longhorns today.

"When I went in there as a (opposing) player, that's where I wanted to play," said Walden, who faced the Longhorns during his stint at Lubbock Christian University in the 1980s. "I wanted to go in there and show what I could do. If you're an athlete and a competitor, you like doing it in the toughest situations. It's all about high risk and high reward. It's going to be tough and the fans get after you, but you know what, that's what makes it good when you go down there and win."

Unfortunately for the Red Raiders (17-6, 2-1 in Big 12), that's what Baylor did to the Longhorns (21-4, 0-3) last week, taking the series opener in Austin then sweeping UT in two games in Waco to put Texas in a huge, early hole in the Big 12 race. Tech now goes in not knowing what kind of opponent to expect, but the simplest approach the Red Raiders can take would be to not worry about the opponent and worry about the game itself.

Texas Tech Baseball

 What: No. 19 Tech at No. 4 Texas

 When: 6:15 p.m. today, 2:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday

 Where: Disch-Falk Field, Austin

 Records: Texas Tech 17-6, 2-1 in Big 12; Texas 21-4, 0-3

"I think it's going to be dangerous going into Texas after losing three straight to Baylor because they're going to be looking for blood," catcher Cooper Fouts said. "If we can just go out there and forget about what it says on the uniform and forget about being in Austin, and just play like we're here at Dan Law, it will be a different field but the same game."

And if Tech can get the pitching performances it did the first two games this past weekend at home against Texas A&M, then it could signal the team's best start to league play since 1999 when the Red Raiders opened Big 12 play 7-1. Tech starters Billy Carnline (4-0) and Brian Wyatt (3-1) combined to allow just one unearned runs against the Aggies, giving Walden a glimpse of what is possible from his weekend rotation. And despite struggling in Sunday's finale, Adam Lawford (2-2) remains the Sunday starter with plenty of confidence from his position coach.

"I don't think we can go in there worrying about how (Texas) is going to play. We have to worry about how we're going to play," Walden said. "We have to worry about what billy can do and what Wyatt can do and what Adam can do and worry about our guys. If we start worrying about the psychology of how we are going to be then we don't take care of the things we need to."

Tech will need a similar mound effort to last week to match the stiff pitching staff of the Longhorns, which enters the game ranked third in the Big 12 with a 2.55 overall ERA. Then there's the added fact of not knowing the mental state of the Longhorns, who haven't started in this kind of hole since losing five straight to Tech and Baylor to open the 1998 Big 12 campaign.

"Whenever you lose you have messages you have to pay attention to," Texas coach Augie Garrido said. "Those messages really belong to each team member and they have to find those out for themselves. As coaches we need to find out what it means to us. I think we've done that and we're moving forward."